Dark Sanctuary
by Anomaly9
Summary: It's Halloween night and Amelia forgets some notes at school. When she arrives, she's transported to a strange, dark world where she meets the lonely vampire Dimitry and discovers some shocking things about herself. Will one night change everything? Short story.


Amelia Jones walked almost blindly through the near pitch black hallway of Sweet Amoris high in search of her locker, her footsteps echoing eerily in the emptiness. Why, oh why did she have to forget her math notes the day before the test? She wasn't normally so forgetful.

Her eyes darted nervously around the school. What an idea to come here on Halloween, of all nights. It was so strange at night with no staff or students roaming the halls. If she didn't know better, she might believe the darkness was a living, breathing thing, slowly closing in on her. Suffocating. The image made her hands clammy. She had been petrified of the dark when she was younger and some childish part of her was still afraid, even now. _Serves me right. _Amelia thought, picking up her pace as she neared her locker. She wanted to get it over with. Her mission was to get in, get her notes and get out, no questions asked.

Amelia held the lock in her sweaty palms, her fingers slipping from the dial several times before she managed to get a good grip. On top of her clammy hands, she had to strain to see the numbers in the dark. She tried her combination and tugged at the lock, but it wouldn't budge.

"Come on, come one. Ope already." She muttered in frustration. She tried one more time and finally the lock opened with a satisfying click. At last. She opened the door, the hinges creaking. She was about to grab her notes and sprint madly for the door when she felt something…like someone's breath tickling the back of her neck. She yelped and slapped a hand over her mouth, whirling around to meet an empty row of lockers. Heart pounding, Amelia dropped her hands away. She swallowed hard, eyes searching frantically, but there was nothing. No one in sight. She closed her eyes and exhaled in relief, willing her frantic heartbeat to slow.

Suddenly, an odd scent crept up to her nose, a mix of incense and roses and…was that cinnamon? She opened her eyes. A cloud of white mist had begun to creep across the floor. Amelia looked down to see it swirling around her ankles and up her calves. She gasped and kicked away the mist as if it might bite her, trying her best not to shriek like a wild animal but the mist thickened and crept toward her again. Amelia's eyes followed the direction of the mist, to the end of the hall where it spilled out of the darkness. She pushed back a sudden wave of uneasiness and, against her better judgment, stepped toward the source of the cloud. Her heart started pounding all over again as she walked through it. _What is wrong with you, Amelia?_ The words ran through her mind, reprimanding her. She didn't know what was wrong with her, only that she couldn't tear herself away from the eerie mist or the alluring scent that came with it. The smell of incense grew stronger the closer she came to the end of the hall and her feet disappeared beneath the mist that had thickened to the consistency of a white cloud. When she stepped into the alcove that led to the basement, the cloud of mist had crept up around the walls, creating a blurry haze that clouded her vision. The scent of roses and incense become pungent, almost sickeningly sweet as colours swirled before Amelia's eyes, disorienting her. She stumbled sideways, reaching out to support herself against a wall, only to grasp at thin air. There was nothing solid anywhere around her. The scents were so strong now that she could taste them as the mist enveloped her. Soon, the ground melted away and she was falling helplessly through space and time…

Amelia woke groggily to find herself face down in a patch of dewy grass. She rolled gently onto her back and blinked several times as awareness washed over her. She noticed dark purple clouds drifting over the full moon above.

She sat up quickly. Too quickly. A head rushed caused her to close her eyes and take a breathe before opening them again. Her eyes darted around the in search of anything remotely familiar, but her surroundings looked nothing like Sweet Amoris…she was sitting in what appeared to be a cemetery. Rows upon rows of run down grave stones lined the grass. They stood next to a castle, with spires that reached up into the night sky and disappeared in the clouds. Amelia thought it must have been beautiful once, but now it was run down and worn with age. Vines twined themselves along the cracked brick walls, engulfing the structure. She spotted a cluster of bats flying out one of the windows. "I've got to be dreaming." Amelia muttered. There was no other explanation. _ Which means my actions have no consequences. I'll have to wake up soon,_ she though, suddenly relieved.

Then, out of sheer curiosity, Amelia crawled on all fours towards one of the grave stones and touched her hand to its grimy surface. It was so cracked and dirty, she couldn't read the name or birth date, but she could make out the date of death: October 21, 1858. Hmm. She stood, wiped the dewy grass from her jeans and wandered around the numerous graves. Her eyes roved over the grimy stones, at least the ones she could read. While the birth dates varied, every death date ranged from 1858 to 1860. Something awful must have happened in those three years to cause so many deaths. Amelia wondered how her imagination could be so morbid.

She wandered down the gravel path away from the cemetery to explore the rest of her dream world. The path led her to the gaping mouth of a dark forest, its branches gnarled and twisted as they formed a dark canopy over the path. The sight of it raised goose bumps on Amelia's skin. The hoot of an owl sounded from somewhere in the darkness, making her jump. She breathed deeply and willed her heart to slow, reminding herself that it was only a dream and there was nothing to be frightened of. She stared into the dark woods and took a few tentative steps forward, treading cautiously in spite of herself. Gradually she picked up her pace. _It's only a dream. Just a dream…_

As Amelia neared the end of the forest, she noticed a clearing. Finally. At least she knew the forest didn't go on forever. She ducked her head through the thicket of branches and thorns and stepped into the clearing. The first thing she noticed was a single stone, moonlight shining down on it through the branches. It was surrounded by piles of red roses and carnations. What could it be? Amelia wondered. As she crept closer, she noticed it was a grave stone like others she'd seen, only this one looked well cared for. It was in perfect condition, no cracks or grime. She looked at the name.

_Marry Magdeline _

_1843-1860_

Some odd compulsion suddenly made her want to touch the gravestone. She crouched down and reached out a hand to it…when she noticed a thick, white fog forming around her. The fog slithered up the gravestone and coiled around her arm as if it were a living thing. Amelia screamed and shook it away, stumbling backward, away from the stone. She sat in the dewy grass, gasping for breath, when she heard a deep from somewhere behind her.

"And who might you be?"


End file.
